Expect heavy rains and some possible tropical storm-force winds in the Keys this weekend.
Tropical Storm Fred approached the Dominican Republic on Wednesday morning, as Keys officials gathered for a storm call via Zoom. Fred is expected to weaken to a tropical depression later today as the core passes through Hispaniola, said Jon Rizzo, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service out of Key West. There’s uncertainty, however, over the storm’s organization after it emerges to the northwest of Haiti.
Rizzo expressed confidence that the storm will likely approach Florida...
As usual, Colorado State University issued its hurricane forecast first. Phil Klotzbach is calling for 17 named storms, eight hurricanes, and four major hurricanes. In 2020, the team called for 8 hurricanes but 13 developed. The university experts say it will be another above-normal hurricane season.
The university’s research team also calculated the probability a major hurricane would hit Florida:
U.S. East Coast including peninsula Florida – 45% (average for last century is 31%)
Gulf Coast from the Florida Panhandle westward to Brownsville – 44% (average for last century is...